Comparative analysis of hydrogen-rich syngas production from various feedstocks using bubbling fluidized bed

• Published in: Process safety and environmental protection 2024-09, Vol.189, p.1112-1122
• Main Authors: Taipabu, Muhammad Ikhsan, Viswanathan, Karthickeyan, Mariyappan, Vinitha, Kuo, Po-Chih, Aziz, Muhammad, Wu, Wei
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bubbling fluidized-bed; Gasification; Plastic waste; Refuse-derived fuel; Sewage sludge; Syngas
• ISSN: 0957-5820
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psep.2024.06.109

Any carbon-based materials, including any trash that contains carbon, may be converted into sustainable energy through the thermochemical process known as gasification. The bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) is used for sewage sludge (SS), plastic waste (PW), and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) gasification. The sensitivity analysis of gasification processes is examined. The maximum H2 selectivity in RDF gasification is 70 %, followed by SS (65 %) and PW (62 %) at S/B=2. PW gasification, although producing more H2, generates more CO and CO2 than RDF and SS because to its high carbon content. At 700°C–800°C, three feedstocks have good H2 selectivity. RDF gasification has the best selectivity of all component products over the temperature range. The H2/CO molar ratio range (1–2) for chemical synthesis suggests steam to biomass (S/B) values of 1.2–2.6 for RDF and SS. As S/B value increases, CO/CO2 molar ratio increases, which compresses CO2 for CO production, improving syngas quality, notably for power generation. In PW gasification, the H2/CO ratio (≤2) is expected at >750°C. Pressure only effects H2/CO and CO/CO2, in PW gasification. The evaluation of lower heating value (LHV) and cold gas efficiency (CGE) involves exploring a range of selected parameters. Elevated reaction temperatures positively influence both LHV and CGE; however, this is not the case for S/B ratio and reaction pressure. Among the gasification processes, PW gasification exhibits the highest LHV, while SS gasification demonstrates the highest CGE. Besides, the gasification efficiency (ƞG) is found about 35–41 % at the S/B=2, which is lower than the efficiency in terms of CGE (57.6 %) due to the energy consumption increase as the temperature increased. O2/S increases negatively affect product composition but allow parameter indicator value adjustment to parameter indicator of the desired syngas product quality. [Display omitted]